Halozyme Therapeutics has announced that the first healthy subject has been dosed in a Phase I clinical trial evaluating the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of a subcutaneous formulation of rivipansel, a compound discovered by GlycoMimetics, Inc. and being developed by Pfizer Inc., using Halozyme’s ENHANZE formulation.

“The advancement of the first product candidate under our Pfizer collaboration represents further progress and validates the potential of our ENHANZE platform,” said Dr Helen Torley, Halozyme’s president and Chief Executive Officer. “The growing number of products co-formulated with ENHANZE that are entering the clinic or already marketed represent, I believe, just the beginning of the potential that exists to help an even broader population of partners and patients.”

The initiation of dosing triggered a $1 million milestone payment to Halozyme under the License and Collaboration Agreement between Halozyme and Pfizer that was entered into in 2012. Rivipansel is an investigational compound under evaluation by Pfizer as an intravenous formulation in a Phase III study for the treatment of individuals hospitalized with vaso-occlusive sickle cell disease.

Halozyme’s ENHANZE technology is based on a proprietary recombinant human enzyme (rHuPH20) that targets hyaluronan, a glycosaminoglycan, which is a chain of natural sugars throughout the body and component of the extracellular matrix, to aid in the dispersion and absorption of other injected therapeutic drugs.